Gujarat police accused of inaction, againEconomic Times, May 5, 2006VADODARA: People belonging to the minority community have alleged police “inaction” in protecting their lives and property and they were, in fact, the target of police action in the violence in the last three days, following the demolition of a 200 year-old dargah on Monday.

SC stays demolition of Gujarat shrinesTimes of India, May 5, 2006NEW DELHI: Fearing a revival of the 1992 communal flare-up in the wake of the recent "dargah" demolition in Vadodara, the Centre on Thursday moved the Supreme Court swiftly and got a stay on a Gujarat High Court order directing demolition of temples and mosques encroaching on public land.

US panel seeks justice for Gujarat riotsIBN News, May 4, 2006Washington: The Sangh Parivar and BJP-led governments have come under severe attack from a US commission, which said the Indian government should hold to account the perpetrators of the 2002 Gujarat riots to display the country's return to its tradition of religious tolerance.

Amnesty report slams Gujarat on rights violationThe Hindu, May 26, 2005Kochi, May 26 (UNI): Stating that perpetrators of human rights violations continued to enjoy immunity from punishment in many cases, Amnesty International today said the Gujarat state authorities had failed to bring to book those responsible for widespread violence in 2002.

Modi better curb his wanderlustLavanya Rajamani, The Indian Express, March 30, 2005Leaders, like Modi, accused of complicity in perpetrating genocide yet at large, should curb their wanderlust as a matter of prudence. A lesson that Henry Kissinger, accused of war crimes in Indo-China, and elsewhere, has learnt. The days of untrammeled respect for state sovereignty, and unquestioned head of state immunity are long gone.

Modi Episode Will Serve To Redeem NRI ImageRajiv Desai, The Times of India, March 29, 2005The saffron brotherhood believes it has total support from non-resident Indians, especially in America. I lived and worked in the US for nearly two decades and it thrills me that a progressive NRI lobby succeeded in its campaign against Modi. NRIs were faced with the tag of being religious fundamentalists. The success of the anti-Modi lobby will go a long way in changing that perception.

A Visa for Mr ModiAnil Dharker, The Indian Express, March 30, 2005This is not the time for ‘‘our’’ values and the US’s values. It is the time to argue for the compeuppance of every abuser of human rights

Gujarat violence victims only want justiceNew Kerala.com, India News, March 27, 2005The US decision to deny visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi may have pleased victims of the 2002 sectarian violence, but survivors say what they truly seek is justice.

I am not against Islam but against jehad: Modisify.com, 27 March , 200New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in the eye of a storm following denial of visa by the US, has said he was not against Islam but against jehad and terrorism.

"As far as Narendra Modi is concerned, I am not against Islam. But I am against jehad and terrorism," Modi told a television channel.

Ignoring global ethicsNarendar Pani, The Economics Times, March 27, 2005The entire affair of Narendra Modi and his US visa showed yet again that Indian national pride is alive and well. It was only to be expected that Mr Modi and the BJP would treat the visa cancellation as an affront to India.

India's Modi basks in visa denial gloryBy Harbaksh Singh Nanda, United Press International,March 25, 2005Modi's U.S. visit may not have got him as much political mileage as he got by his refused visa. The visa denial is like killing two birds with one stone. It suits Modi's political ambitions because he has emerged as a martyr or a hero among the majority Hindu community. The visa denial also suited Washington's desire to portray itself favorably in the Muslim world.

In a television interview, Modi said "whatever happened at Godhra or thereafter was wrong" and "this sort of happening is not good for any society". The statement comes at a crucial time. A week ago, Modi was denied visa to visit the US on grounds that he violated "religious freedom". His proposed visit to Britain had sparked protests in the country. Modi in fact cancelled the trip after the Centre pointed out to him the possibility of a security threat.

Arrest fears nipped Modi's UK tripTimes News Network, March 25, 2005New Delhi: Serious Concern About The Personal Safety Of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Was Just One Of The Reasons Why The Centre Advised Him To Call Off His Trip To The UK.

The Indian High Commission in London had alerted the Centre about a determined bid by British groups to get one of the courts there order Modi's arrest during his stay in the UK, sources said on Friday.

Last minute, Modi scraps his UK tripExpress News Service, March 25, 2005Ahmedabad, March 24: Barely a week after the US denied him a visa, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his weekend visit to the UK on security grounds.

AmEx pulls out of Modi meetIndiatimes News Network, March 24, 2005NEW DELHI: American Express Corporation has withdrawn its sponsorship for the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) convention beginning Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was to have addressed the association if he had not been refused entry into the US by the Bush administration.

Modi's 36 hrs in UK can be stormyRashmee Roshan Lall, Times News Network, March 22, 2005LONDON: Even as controversy brewed over Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming 36-hour visit to Britain, both 'love Modi' and 'loathe Modi' camps here appear amazingly united on one key point: the Gujarat chief minister may literally and figuratively face the music but threatened legal action in a London court for crimes against humanity will fizzle out again, as it did 19 months ago.

UK feels heat over Gujarat leader's visitBy Jo Johnson in Delhi, March 22 2005The US's stance leaves Britain under pressure to follow suit as Mr Modi plans to attend a celebration of Gujarati music at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday. British Muslim and human rights groups are protesting at his UK entry.

Biggest Indo-US lobby group calls visa denial 'unfortunate'Times News Network, March 21, 2005 The largest Indian-American lobby group USINPAC described the denial of visa to Modi as an "unfortunate incident". "It is a reminder that Indian Americans need to participate more deeply in the political process in the US," said Robinder Sachdev, director of the group. It was sustained lobbying by one part of the Indian American community in the US that led to the visa denial, and among other things is a stinging indictment of the divided nature of the community.

US stands by India visa decisionBBC Online, March 21, 2004The United States has reaffirmed a decision to refuse the controversial Indian politician, Narendra Modi, permission to enter the country.

Diplomatic row deepens, US reaffirms visa denialPress Trust of India, New Delhi, March 21, 2005A diplomatic spat between India and the US intensified Monday with New Delhi sharply criticising Washington's persistent refusal to grant visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was not in keeping with democratic traditions and practices.

'Disinformation campaign' against India: ModiPTI, Gandhinagar, March 21, 2005Denied a visa for a business visit to the US, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to an Indian-Americans audience over satellite telling them that a "disinformation campaign" was being launched to malign India.

US reconsidering denial of visa to ModiPTI, New York, March 21, 2005The US is reconsidering the denial of visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a leading Congressman and founder of India caucus group Frank Pallone said today. He said he would work to get Modi's visa restored."If there is difference of opinion, there should be a dialogue and not attempt to shut out a view point," Pallone said at a meeting convened by the Association of Indian Americans of North America.

Modi may face protests during UK visitH S Rao in London, March 20, 2005Close on the heels of the US denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to visit that country, two United Kingdom-based voluntary organisations are planning protest demonstrations during his proposed visit to London next Saturday.

Gujarat Pogrom Costs Chief Minister Modi U.S. VisaRanjit Devraj, IPS, Mar 20, 2005It's a rarity for the United States to lend its ear to Indian human rights campaigners, let alone take any action on their petitions. But Washington's cancellation Friday of a U.S. visa given to right-wing politician Narendra Modi, blamed by human rights groups for the deaths of more than 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat state in 2002, was an exception.

NHRC says US exaggerated its Gujarat observationsUNI, New Delhi, Mar 19, 2005The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), whose findings the US claimed formed the basis for denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, today shot back at Washington, saying the Bush administration had blown its observations over the 2002 riots out of proportion.

Hosts cancel Modi invite, stand by USPTI, March 20, 2005Asian American Hotel Owners Association in the United States has decided to cancel invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi following the decision of the Bush administration to deny him visa to travel to the country.

NRIs say it's a clear victory for all IndiansTimes News Network, March 20, 2005AHMEDABAD: At least 35 organisations representing NRIs in the US have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to contest the US' denial of a visa to Narendra Modi.

After all, Modi may get his visa power backTimes News Network, March 19, 2005Faced with loud protests over the denial of a visa to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, the United States on Saturday said it would consider India's request to take another look at the decision.

BJP's Swabhiman rally in GujaratPTI, March 20, 2005BJP President L K Advani would participate in a massive ‘Swabhiman’ (Self-respect) rally to here tomorrow to protest against US decision to deny visa to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, state party sources said.

Indians Riot After Denial Of U.S. Visa to NationalistBy Rupak Sanyal, Associated Press, March 20, 2005AHMADABAD, India, March 19 -- Hindu nationalists set fire to a PepsiCo warehouse in western India on Saturday to protest the U.S. denial of a visa to a state official because of his role in religious riots in 2002.

The current spate of rioting in Vadodara is further evidence of the deep fissures that divide Gujarat and the perverse approach of the Narendra Modi administration towards issues of governance.